engleski

The effectiveness of progestagen-free artificial insemination protocols in Saanen goats

This research was performed within FLOCK-REPROD FP7 project which main goal is to provide the European dairy goat industry with the innovative, economically and environmentally-viable technology necessary to enable the hormone-free production of goat’s milk all year round. FLOCK-REPROD technology will allow the EU dairy goat industry to operate in full conformity with EC regulation (96/22/EC) which restricts the use of exogenous hormones (currently used by the majority of dairy goat breeders using AI) and which will be reinforced more strictly in the very near future. Two protocols were compared: prostaglandin-based AI protocol (PG group, n=24) and classical progestagen-based AI protocol (HT Group, n= 22). The intracervical/intrauterine AI was planned to be performed during transitional period (beggining of September) of sexual season. Both groups and bucks were submitted to the long day photoperiodic treatment (70 days, from April till June), followed by short day treatment (melatonin implants). Sixty days after melatonin implants were applied, the bucks (which were phisically separated from females during short day treatment) were deliberatly introduced among the goats in PG Group in order to stimulate the oestrus appereance in receptive goats. After buck introduction the prostaglandin was applied at appropriate moment to induce luteolysis (the protocol details are still confidential and protocol still not validated) and AI was performed. The goats in HT Group were submitted to the classical synchronization protocol (11 days progestagen vaginal pessary, 400 IU eCG, prostaglandin) after photoperiodic treatment. The number (%) of pregnant goats (45 days after IA, ultrasound detection) was 11/24 (45, 8 %) in PG Group and 12/21 (57, 1 %) in HT Group. Good results of pregnancy after AI were obtained in PG1 and HT groups.

Goat; hormone-free; protocol; synchronisation; buck effect

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